Build a code of ethics to keep trouble at bay

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Nov 1, 1998 by Eric Freedman

Eric Freedman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, teaches magazine writing at Michigan State University.

Journalists confused or tempted by opportunity or subtle bribery are more likely to react properly if a clear-cut code of ethics is firmly in place.

Ethics is a concept about which journalists feel strongly; yet it's impossible for journalists as a group to draw clear-cut, universally accepted boundaries incorporating ethical conduct. It's also impossible for any code to anticipate every ethical dilemma that a magazine may confront. But in an age where accusatory fingers point frequently at the media, and lawsuits just as frequently follow, there are good reasons for editors, publishers, photographers and writers to adopt-and follow-such a code.

In part, it's a matter of pride and professionalism. Beyond that, it can maintain public confidence in the integrity of your magazine and the primary commitment to your readers. It may also be a means of self-protection because questionable ethics decisions can draw embarrassing publicity and scrutiny. Remember the Newsweek cover photo of Bobbi McCaughey, the Iowa mother of septuplets? Newsweek editors decided to "lighten and improve" McCaughey's picture by giving her straight white teeth-a decision editor Richard Smith later admitted let the "technical people go too far" in distorting the content of the photo.

"Changing images in a way that makes an individual or a scene look different contributes to public distrust of journalism," warns Steve Geimann, senior editor of Warren Publishing's Communications Daily in Washington and chair of the Ethics Committee of the Society of Professional Journalists. "Making someone look worse-or even better-can't justify the changes made to the McCaughey photo in Newsweek. The magazine portrays itself as journalistic, conveying information to its audience, but flagrantly violated their trust."

Ethical issues don't usually draw widespread attention outside your offices, but that doesn't lessen the desirability of rules to guide your staff. Some standards apply directly to on-the-job situations. Others reflect the chances of conflicts of interest stemming from personal and family investments and activities away from work.

Have questions like these come up at your magazine?

* Can writers, editors or freelancers accept gifts or trips-and, if so, how might that affect the objectivity of what they write and your publication's reputation?

* Does editorial staff also sell ads-and, if so, what impact might that have on accuracy and the perception of favoritism?

* Can employees own stock in companies your magazine covers, or tape interviews without the consent of sources, or accept speaking fees from industry groups?

* Do you identify victims of sexual assaults or companies named in lawsuits?

* Can your writers disguise their own identities? Do you show advance copy to sources? How do you handle advertisers disgruntled about a story or seeking special, favorable coverage?

No code of ethics can answer every question, but it can provide direction through troublesome waters for consumer, association and business-to-business titles alike.

"If your goal is to present information in a factual way', there has to be a statement of principles or ethics," Geimann says. "It's helpful if it's written so everyone can understand it-the employee/journalist and the reader. If not, it's subject to the vagaries of interpretation from person to person. It can be as simple as 'We will always tell the truth' or as detailed as the SPJ Code of Ethics," which addresses a multitude of issues. (See box.)

Some magazines use the SPJ code as a framework, then customize it to their needs and realities. Designing your own--as U.S. News and World Report does--can be time-consuming and labor-intensive. The genesis of the magazine's ethics committee came during the Gulf War when some staffers participated in anti-war protests. "It became clear that we had a lot of piecemeal policies on various things called 'ethics,'" explains national news editor Ted Gest, who chairs the in-house panel. "This was an attempt to rationalize and enumerate policies, make sure they were consistent. We're still working on issues seven or eight years later."

More than rules

An ethics code, no matter how elaborate, can't address all scenarios, so you should develop an internal mechanism to discuss problems and head off red faces, litigation and breach of your readers' trust. At a large publication such as U.S. News & World Report, a committee is an option. Elsewhere, editors can consult among themselves without a formal structure.

That's what happened at Outside, when former executive editor Michael Paterniti wrote an investigative article on torture and the repression of human rights in Myamar, the former Burma. The news peg was an international PR campaign by a corrupt and ruthless ruling junta to lure Western tourists and their money. Paterniti, who had recently left the magazine staff and was writing the piece as a freelancer, illegally crossed the Thai border into Myamar with armed rebels, used aliases for sources quoted in the article, illegally crossed out of the country and later re-entered with a valid visa.